High-rise living with a twist

Concept combines horizontal and vertical buildings with a garden on every level

(CNN) -- An eye-catching spiral skyscraper with a garden on every level is being planned for Abu Dhabi.

The so-called Stairscraper was one of the winners of the Total Housing Competition run by New York's Storefront for Art and Architecture, a non-profit organization which promotes innovative architecture, and Architizer, an online platform for architects.

The Barcelona-based architect Nabito that designed the Stairscraper said it is in negotiating to build it in Abu Dhabi, but that details are currently confidential.

Alessandra Faticanti, who founded Nabito with Roberto Ferlito, said: "We tried to join horizontal and vertical, designing a horizontal skyscraper, mixing the pragmatism of vertical buildings with the romantic idea of horizontal landscape cities."

The Stairscraper deals with real life issues and takes them to their extreme.--Marc Kurshner, co-founder Architizer

Faticanti said they were talking to engineers in Abu Dhabi about the possibility of creating a well to reach the underground water table in the center of the building, and using it to create a green oasis of gardens.

"The building will be especially careful about sustainability using all the techniques, technologies and materials and method of construction to reach environmental sustainability," she said.

The concept of the Stairscraper is to combine housing, offices and public spaces in the most sustainable way possible.

Ferlito, 37, said the concept for the Stairscraper came to them while looking at a spiral staircase in Istanbul and trying to imagine it as a building.

"We were in Istanbul for the opening night of a building we recently built and while we were speaking we've been astonished by a spiral stair hanging from a building in front of us," said Ferlito. "We started joking about the form, playing and imagining the possibilities of transforming it into a building."

Marc Kurshner, co-founder of Architizer, said: "We were really beguiled by the project. Nabito have a great sense of humor and lightness of touch which is all too infrequent in smart architecture.

"The Stairscraper deals with real life issues and takes them to their extreme."

Ferlito and Faticanti founded Nabito in 2007 and have since won several European awards for young architects.